Edge of Forever
A Charter On The Edge of Forever We who stand at the Precipice of History, the Eternally Vigilant Wardens of the Edge of Forever, do hereby come together in a Free Association agreeing to be governed by a Government who serve on our behalf, exercising the powers emanating from our individual and collective sovereign rights provided said Government acts within the boundaries of this Charter. §1: The Eternal Council – The Government of the Alliance 1) The Eternal Council consists of the Guardians, and Ministers who shall exercise authority over the Alliance's defence, foreign affairs, economy, internal affairs, and membership. 2) The Council may make, modify and cancel such laws as are necessary for the betterment and functioning of the Alliance. 3) Councillors are elected for four-month terms and may serve no more than three consecutive terms. 4) In matters of great urgency, any Councillor may exercise such powers as would normally be exercised by any other Councillor or the Council as a whole, but they must inform the Council of their actions. 5) Any Councillor may introduce legislation and each enjoys a single vote. 6) Unless specified otherwise elsewhere, a simple majority is sufficient to pass an Act or Motion. 7) Any Council vote ending in a tie shall be deemed to have failed. §2: The Guardians 1) The Three Guardians (Kirk, Spock, and Bones) of Forever are Collectively the Alliance's Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of its Military. They are individually answerable to the Council and Wardens. They: a) May pardon convicted Wardens or other enemies b) Shall in concert with their fellows, post a regular update (at minimum, monthly) of their doings, plans and positions. c) Shall receive regular updates from and provide regular direction to the Ministers. d) May declare war on their own authority under defensive treaty obligations. e) Assist with the development and implementation of policies. f) Individually and collectively enjoy the right of Liberum veto over any legislation not arising from a Petition §3: Ministers & Deputies 1) Ministers as heads of their respective Ministries are charged with developing and implementing policies, goals and directives as well as managing their staffs. 2)The number of Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Ministries shall be determined by legislation. 3) Ministers, collectively and severally: a) May appoint/remove Wardens to/from the various offices within their Ministry. b) May create private sub-forums for their Ministry. c) Shall Post a regular update (minimum monthly) of their doings, plans and positions. d) Save in times of war, enjoy total control of and be completely responsible for their Department. 4) Deputy Ministers shall be the assistant heads of their respective Ministry. They are charged with assisting their Minister with the development and implementation of policies, goals and directives and the management of their Ministerial staffs and assisting with forum moderation. 5) Deputy Ministers collectively and severally: a) May appoint Wardens to the offices under their jurisdiction b) In matters of great urgency exercise such powers as would normally be exercised by their Minister. c) Remain in office for the term of their appointer, but may be removed by the same at any time. §4: Replacement of Councillors 1) Should a Councillor be unable to discharge their duties, they may be temporarily suspended if either they or a pair of Councillors make a public statement announcing their incapacity. 2) A suspension terminates when the incapacitated Councillor publicly announces the end of their incapacity. 3) A Councillor may not be suspended for incapacity for more than 20 days; after 20 days they shall be automatically removed from Office and their replacement assume their office outright. 4) An Acting Guardian or Minister elevated under §4(3) shall be deemed to have served a full term for the purposes of §1(3), only if they have served more than 30 days. 5) A Councillor may be removed from office by a Guardian should they become inactive by failing without prior notice to log into the Forums and or IRC channel for 7 days; and or retain their nation. 6) Councillors accused of committing a crime shall be impeached by the Council or the Wardens by Petition. 7 ) Upon impeachment a Councillor is suspended until completion of their trial by the Council; conviction resulting in removal from office; acquittal in return. 8 ) When a Councillor is removed, suspended or resigns, an Acting Councillor is appointed by the non-suspended Guardians. 9) Acting Guardians shall be appointed according to the following order: a) The Ministers in order of precedence b) The Deputy Ministers in order of precedence c) Any Warden who fulfils the requirements of office d) If a Candidate would appear on the list more than once, they are deemed to occupy the highest ranked slot to which they are entitled e) A Candidate may remove themselves from consideration. 10) Acting Ministers shall be appointed according to the following order of precedence: a) The Deputy to the Minister in question b) Any Warden who fulfils the requirements of Office 11) Acting Councillors are equal in all respects to the Councillor they have replaced, and may be suspended or removed from office according to the same Laws. 12) A Petition to recall any Councillor must exceptionally, achieve a two-thirds (2/3) super-majority of votes cast, which must represent at least 50% of the Wardens. §5: Membership 1) Application for Membership is open to all nations at peace who share the Values of the Wardens of the Edge of Forever. 2) The nature of the application process and the rules by which applicants shall be elevated to Wardenship shall be determined by legislation. §6: Rights and Responsibilities of Wardens 1) These rights and freedoms shall be secured without adverse discrimination on any ground. 2) Wardens have the right to freedom of expression; subject to such conditions necessary for preserving the Alliance’s security, and the protection of privacy, including prevention of disclosure of information received in confidence. 3) Wardens, save during wartime, may resign at will, provided they make provisions for the repayment of any debts owed and undertake not to divulge any confidential or sensitive information gained during their time in the Alliance. 4) Once attacked, or after making an attack ordered by the Government, Wardens have, in addition to the right to self-defence, the right to military and financial assistance unless they have been attacked for reasons relating to a breach of any Law or Policy. 5) Wardens have the right to submit any grievance or complaint they may have to any Councillor and to have them investigated and responded to in a timely, courteous and thorough manner and to request a private investigation/trial if the information involved is deemed sensitive. 6) Wardens have the right to petition for the impeachment or recall of Councillors and the adoption, alteration or discontinuation of any Law, Regulation or Policy or the amendment of this Charter and to have successful Petitions presented to their peers for a Referendum. 7) Wardens enjoy the right to respect for their private lives and their correspondence and there shall be no interference therewith save, that which in accordance with Law, is necessary in the interests of security for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. 8 ) Wardens enjoy the right to have their vote counted in all Elections, Petition Polls, and Referendums. 9) Wardens enjoy the right to information relevant to their governance and to access, after no more than 70 days, all information posted in secrecy unless such records have been sealed for an additional period of no more than 50 days by order of a Guardian. This right may not be abrogated or in any way diminished by treaty or foreign request. 10) Wardens must at all times obey and conduct themselves according to all Laws, Regulations, and Polices. Those who fail to meet their responsibilities or who fail to log into the forums or respond to messages in a prompt and courteous manner, or who regularly conduct themselves in a manner unbecoming the Alliance, forfeit their membership. §7 : Elections 1) To be entered in an election, a Warden must have: a) Posted their nomination prior to the closing of nominations; or b) Been nominated by another Warden and posted their acceptance thereof prior to the closing of nominations 2) Election and Referenda polls shall be open for 72 hours. 3) The only post allowed in an election poll will be a single post containing a short statement from each candidate. 4) Wardens may vote for a single candidate. 5) If there is only one nomination by the prescribed time of nominations closure, they shall be certified the victor, but if no nominations were made the Council may request the incumbent remain in office (if this would not violate the Law on term limits) or appoint a candidate of their choice who meets the relevant qualifications. 6) A candidate who receives a plurality of votes shall be elected. 7) If no candidate achieves a plurality of the votes cast, then the 2 nominees with the most votes shall be entered into a runoff election to last 48 hours. 8 ) Any challenge to the validity of an election result must be made to the Council within 24 hours of the election’s closing. 9) Fixed dates for elections shall be determined by legislation. §8 : Petitions and Referenda 1) Any Warden may create a petition, but for a vote to occur at least 2 other Wardens must second the Petition. 2) The Guardians shall ensure adequate time is given for the Wardens to discuss and debate the merits of any petition before calling for a referendum on a finalized version of the petitioner’s proposal. 3) A binding referendum may be called by the government on any subject, but must be called for the ratification of new defensive treaties and any amendments to this Charter. 4) For referenda to pass a simple majority is needed, provided the total number of votes cast represents at least 35% of the Wardens. §9: Interim and Exceptional Measures 1) The initial interim government shall consist of only the Guardians who shall be chosen by the Wardens by special election. 2) Prior to the first Election, AirMe, HellAngel, and Nolissar shall act as the interim government (Provisional Guardians) to oversee the elections and implementation of this Charter. 3) The interim government shall remain in place for a period of no longer than 50 days before the calling either of new elections or a Constitutional Convention, a) Should a Convention be called, the interim government shall remain in office until its conclusion. 4) The interim government shall be chosen by nominations drawn from the members on the Edge of Forever Alliance Affiliation on the 2nd to the 5th of August 2011. 5) An election shall be held on 5 August 2011 where each member shall be allowed to choose three candidates. The three candidates with the most votes shall become the Interim Guardians. 6)In the case of any ties, separate run-off elections shall be held unless it should transpire that the pair of candidates in second place overall each enjoy more votes than the candidate in third place, in which case the tied second place candidates shall both become Guardians. §10: Amendment and Ratification 1) This charter can only be amended by a Legislative Act of the Council or by Constitutional Convention. 2) Legislation to amend this Charter requires at least two thirds of the Council votes be cast in favour to pass. 3) If an amendment originates with the Council, it must be confirmed by a referendum. 4) The rules of any Constitutional Convention shall be determined by the legislation calling said Convention. 5) This Charter was ratified and adopted with immediate effect, by the Founders The Edge of Forever on the 5th Day of August 2011. In recognition thereof, we have affixed our signatures below: Abraham Lincoln......Elorian..............Kill Joy................Shaazzam Abwehrchef..............enderland.........LAAT501legion....sperry2442 AirMe.......................Engel ...............Leo.....................Stormsend Andy P.....................Hawk Eleven.....masterbake........Sylvia Midnight bcortell.....................HellAngel..........MD Hammer.......Thunderstruck bodie .......................HisK..................necAnt...............Tinton Commander Bean....Inferno..............Nolissar..............UGottaPlayJJ Cs1177....................Janax................okandjo..............Victius Dagny Taggart..........jjallen...............Outremer............Villain don_bidarian............JoshuaR............Sakura................white majik Dylan Carter.............Khal Drogo.......Schad..................WorkofArt Category:Alliances